Native to California, George X. Lin received his Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and is currently completing his Master’s of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Exploring and experiencing new environments has always been his fascination. While growing up in California, he was blessed to be in close proximity to nature. However, at the time he did not realize how fortunate he was to be surrounded by nature and all its beauties, partly because many people in his life fantasized instead about exotic countries abroad. Simply finding the time to experience everything one’s hometown and the nature nearby have to offer is challenging, let alone other cities and countries. While George was fascinated by his travels abroad, these travels led him to realize that the same diversity exists here in his backyard. The only requirement to discovering this diversity was occasionally venturing off the beaten path and exploring. Getting lost often times helps us to find ourselves. George hopes that this book can be an inspiration for others to find time in their lives for a journey, whether it be in new cities or out in nature away from familiar environments. Metroscapes: Reflections of the American Landscape is a book that explores the contrasts and sometimes influences between the rural and urban and vice-versa. This is his journey of and reflection on America, a metropolis of urban and rural landscapes.